He approaches until we’re toe-to-toe. The footsteps of the men stop, and I glance over my shoulder. They’re staring, openmouthed, as are a crowd of onlookers who are gathering on the other side of the window. My wings are out. I’m not using illusion. Every one of those people know exactly who I am and exactly who he is, and he’s looking at me with the kind of focus that only comes from a lover. My heart rate quickens.
“It’s good to see you,” he says softly.
“Good to see you too.” I shift from foot to foot. “Evangeline brought me a key and an offer today. I thought I’d come by personally to tell you I accept.”
Seven beams. “You deserve it. You’ll be brilliant. Humans are going to swarm to learn how to play from Soho Lane herself.”
“Thank you for this. You have no idea what it means to me.”
His eyes crinkle at the corners. “I think I do.”
Silence unspools between us. The security guard is staring. Behind me, the other leprechauns are still staring. Outside the window, there is now a crowd of all manner of fae all staring. A flash goes off. Someone just took our picture.
“Um, aren’t you going to invite me up?”
“I’d hoped you’d come.” He places his hands on my shoulders, his intense focus ratcheting up my pulse another notch.
“I just…” I glance around me again. “Everyone is watching.”
He drops his hands, his face falling. “You only came to say thank you.”
I stare at him for three long heartbeats. “No. I also came to tell you to forget what I said before about deserving better. There’s no one better than you for me, Seven.”
“What about the part about wanting it all,” he whispers.
“I still do. I probably always will. But I’m willing to take what I can get.”
“But you’d prefer no secrets.”
I glance over my shoulder at the crowd gathering on the other side of the window. “Yes.”
He inhales, looking down at me through his lashes. “You sure about that?”
“Positive.”
In the next second, his hands are cradling my face and his lips are on mine in a kiss that could never be mistaken as simply friendly. It’s head-spinning, oxygen-depriving madness. I feel that kiss down to my soul. Luck fizzes through me, and I rise up on my toes, meeting the kiss with deliberate passion.
Lights pop. People snap our picture through the window, their murmurs rising. I pull back, panting. “As much as I appreciate this, can we go upstairs?” I allow my eyes to flood with heat. “There are still some things that belong behind closed doors.”
Warming me with a dazzling smile, he leads me to the elevator. There’s a bob in my step as I enter. I catch a glimpse of Eric’s baffled expression as the doors close behind us. As soon as they do, I’m hyperaware of the exact position of Seven’s body in the enclosed space, of the bright, citrusy fragrance of his cologne, the way his suit drapes perfectly off his shoulders, the way his eyes haven’t left me since they landed on me moments ago.
His face is healed. I can’t even tell he was beaten almost to death only days ago. Tension builds between us, a deliciously weighty feeling in my torso turning over as he takes me in, his stare palpable. “You look like you have something to say to me.”
“My grandmother told me you stopped by the hospital to see me but that Godmother sent you away.”
He nods.
“What were you going to tell me?”
He blinks rapidly, his tongue darting across his lower lip. “I think you know what I came to tell you.” He reaches out and hits the red button on the panel. The elevator stops. “What happened downstairs, I might be able to manage the fallout if you change your mind right now, but if you come home with me and we do this, Sophia, there’s no going back for me. You said you wanted it all. I do too, and there’s no one standing in our way anymore. I want you to be mine. Entirely mine. Do you understand? I can’t settle for halfway with you. I can’t wait any longer.”
“Who says you have to?” The words come out a croak, strangled by the intensity. He moves in until my back hits the far wall and his arms are bracketing my head. His face is close, and it’s like someone released a thousand dragonflies in my lower belly. The butterflies have been replaced by something far more thrilling and aggressive. Hot, fluttering, bubbly luck rises in me. My breath hitches.
“This is just the beginning. I will take us public, and it will be the most selfish thing I ever do. You won’t have a moment of peace. The press will be all over you, and the gossip pages will enjoy a heyday like you’ve never experienced. TheDaily Hatterwill have you on the front page, not just the gossip column.”
My mind fills with streams of color, and I have to take a deep breath to steady myself. “Let them talk.”
He winces. “I can’t promise there won’t be fallout for your family or Arden. I can help with some of that but....”
